This invention relates to a carton construction, and more particularly, to a reclosable carton for dispensing small round articles one at a time.
Heretofore, it has been common to dispense small articles, such as candy tablets, from a paperboard carton having a sliding top panel which could be slid to expose an opening in the top of the carton through which a candy tablet or the like could be dispensed and then the top wall closed by resliding the panel laterally along the top of the carton to cover the dispensing opening. If such carton constructions are formed from a unitary blank, they must include intricately designed panels and folds utilizing substantial amounts of paperboard.
The present invention relates to a carton construction for dispensing round articles, such as candy tablets, one at a time wherein the carton is formed from a simple, unitary paperboard blank having a minimal number of panels. Further, the carton dispensing opening may be reclosed by simply pivoting a cover flap which includes means for locking the flap in closing relation over the dispensing opening.
In accordance with the invention, the carton includes a front wall, back wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall which form a tube. Connected to the bottom edges of the front and back walls are panels which may be overlapped and sealed to form a bottom wall. The carton also includes a first and second panel connected to the top edges of the front and back walls which are overlapped to seal the top of the carton and form a top wall.
The front wall of the carton is provided with a lightly nicked circular portion. The top wall panel connected to the back wall is provided with a top wall panel extension which includes a central portion defined by a pair of parallel score lines terminating in a tab extending from the free edge of the second top wall panel extension; the central portion of the top wall panel extension and tab defining a cover flap. Centrally located on the cover flap is a debossed circular area which is adapted to overlie and be adhesively secured to the lightly nicked circular portion on the front wall panel.
As the cover flap is lifted by pulling outwardly and upwardly on the tab, it is torn between the pair of parallel score lines and the lightly nicked portion of the front wall adheres to the cover flap and is removed from the front wall to provide a dispensing opening through which articles may be singly dispensed from the interior of the carton.
In order to reclose the carton, the cover flap is merely rotated and pushed back against the carton front wall causing the lightly nicked circular portion of removed paperboard stock adhered to the cover flap to frictionally lock within the dispenser opening. The debossed circular portion on the cover flap creates an adhesive locking area between the cover flap and circular portion which has been removed from the front wall, enabling the remover stock to be repositioned within the dispensing opening and pushed therein.
In a second embodiment of the invention, the interior of the carton may be partitioned into multiple columns by the use of an integral partitioning panel extending from a side edge of one side wall of the carton and folded into a U-shape within the interior of the carton. A comparable number of cover flaps and removable, lightly nicked portions on the exterior surface of the front wall panel of the carton are provided so that individual access to each individual partition and stack of tablets within the interior of the carton can be had by uncovering each cover flap and the opening formed therebeneath and the reclosing each opening by pressing the corresponding cover flap back in place so that the removed slightly nicked circular portion of the front wall is reseated within the formed dispensing opening.